Invisible Other

Dir: Suresh Kumar

Moderator:Balmurli Natarajan

For over five decades, Tamil cinema has been more than just a prominent art form in the South-Indian state of Tamil Nadu (TN). Representations in the medium have, often directly, shaped the socio-political lives of the people cutting through its diverse demographics. Tamil cinema’s engagement with caste, especially between the late 80s and the late 90s, is of considerable significance. The emergence of film makers from the non-brahmin and dominant castes brought to screen a conspicuous, unapologetic adaptation of narratives that promoted caste supremacy. The movies, in projecting an upper caste patriarch that embodied kindness, moral certitude, righteousness and courage, have actively marginalized the lower caste members in the movie or worse, denied their existence altogether. The Invisible Other tries to understand the status quo and explore some of the direct, observable effects of these films on the mainstream discourse.

Free and open to the public

Sponsored by: Center for South Asian Studies, Department of Psychology, and Global Scholars Program

Film & Media

India in the World
School of Social Work BuildingCenter for South Asian Studies1080 S. University Ave.Suite 3603
Ann Arbor, MI
48109-1106